Rumsfeld Lies About Lying (And Now Goss Resigns)

Think Progress has the video of recently retired, 27-year veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern challenging Rumsfeld at a speech yesterday on his honesty about the Iraq war and the reasons concocted to justify the invasion. There's also a text version of the interaction.

In one exchange, Rummy denies he said he knew where the WMD's were in Iraq and McGovern reads him a verbatim quote where he says just that. Rumsfeld, rarely lacking in the spin department, had to skip at least one beat.

In addition to the blunt questioning from McGovern, there were at least three protestors in the crowd, including one guy who stood with his back towards Rumsfeld during his entire appearance. One guy was wearing a large sticker that said 'IMPEACH' and a woman was escorted out after holding up a banner that called Rummy a war criminal. Could we really be reaching a long overdue turning point on the crass manipulation of the truth by Bush and company? How much longer can they keep lying in the face of clear, documented evidence to the contrary? How much longer will the mainstream media play along with them?

Thus just in: Porter Goss "resigns" as CIA director. Why? And why now? Does it have something to do with the new prostitute scandal involving Duke Cunningham and some of his Republican cohorts? Is Goss involved in some way with the Plame lead scandal? Inquiring minds want to know.

Think Progress has the video and transcript of prominent neocon and editor of The Weekly Standard William Kristol's reaction to the Goss resignation:

Kristol:  It wasn’t done in a routine way. I don’t think people — certainly people close to Goss did not expect this to happen. Senior congressmen and senators didn’t expect this to happen. I’m not sure the White House expected this to happen ... I do think this was sudden. It was unexpected. There will be more of a story that will come out. I don’t know what it implies for the future of the agency and Goss’ effort to shake up an institution, an institution that’s very difficult to shake up. But I do not believe it was part of a long-planned —

... What was striking about the statement in the Oval Office with the President, he didn’t say, “I will serve until my successor is confirmed,” which is the usual practice. In the written statement, he says he intends to be there for a few weeks to help ensure a smooth transition, but implying he could well leave before his successor is confirmed by the United States Senate. So again, I think there were either serious disputes or some internal problem at the agency or some scandal conceivably involving an associate of Goss’. Who knows? Something that popped this week and that caused this sudden event this Friday.

Tick tock. Tick tock.